Ragged breaths filled the small room. Through the barred window, light filtered on the boy. He was shaking, his wings curled around himself protectively. He was dreaming, though not in the good sense. His mind tried its best to give him images, but he didn't know what the world looked like. At times, when the merfolk gave him that cream for missions, he could see. But his sight was blurred and colourless to the point that he could only make out large pieces of furniture, walls, and floors. It worked fine when it came to missions - he needn't see any more than colourless blurs - but he dreamed of the day that his eyes could see the faces of his friends.
He awoke with a jolt, sat up, and looked around aimlessly. He could smell his own scent. That scent calmed him enough that he could rid the post-nightmare panic. Sadie had told him that he smelled like a dirty rag, but other Avians told him he smelt like clean clothes. He supposed that it was better, if only a little.
Someone banged on the door violently. "Hey Ollivander!” she said. “Get up. If you don't open the door I'm forcing entry."
She continued to hit the door with considerable force, using both her front hoof and hands to really make a racket. The boy made a noncommittal grunt and stood, finding his way to the door using his hand. He opened it, and got yanked out into the corridor with one tug.
"You're going to be late," she scolded.
"Oh r...r-really?" He snapped back, looking in the general direction of his now raised arm, as if to check the time. "It's like s-someone didn't turn the sound off my alarm a-and expected me to wa-wake up from flashing lights or something, w-who w-would have t-thought."
The next moment, he was lifted up, all 6 limbs flailing to grab hold of something, anything, in the air. He eventually found himself oddly strewn across her back. He felt her soft coat under his hands, short hair slowly evolving into a well-brushed ponytail that reached way past the top of her back.
"Giddy up Sadie." He teased, gently tugging at her hair. She muttered something about not being a horse, but took off anyways.
"The twins are already at breakfast," she called, "they saved you some uhh… slugs? I think that's what they were. They looked like slugs but I am not at all convinced that they aren't some small demons from the deep that made it to our cafeteria."
"And why d-do you say that?"
"They have at least 70 teeth and are red and black. Therefore, they are demons. I don't make the rules that's just how it is."
"I a-agree with your concern, but they aren't demons. They are in fact, a s-species of deep sea slug. So you're about h-half c-correct."
"Shut up, smartass. Unlike you I don't eat slugs. Maybe we should be thinking about that, instead."
"I'd prefer to not."
"Weakling."
They continued their mindless bickering until they made it to the cafeteria. Sadie let Ollivander hop off her back before she crawled onto the centaur seat. It was a massive cushion embedded in the ground, essentially. When she sat, her torso was at the same level as the other three at the table. She glanced around at them, taking it all in.
The first her eyes laid on was Ollivander. His large personality and wings - which were larger than average for his age - made up for his otherwise small body. He was worn down by the war, in more ways than one. His frame was clearly visible under his tight clothing, all of his ribs showing and his stomach concave. He also had these nightmares that taunted him. The screams and cries of his fellow avians would haunt him until he drew his final breath. He often came stumbling for Sadie when he awoke, unsure when his nightmare ended and his conscious mind took over. He was too young for this.
Then Dekk, the girl who could blind almost anyone with her dazzling smile. She had reserved those demons for Ollivander, laughing every time they fell from his hands and onto the table, gently picking them up and placing them back in his hands. She had beautiful golden scales that wrapped from under her eyes to around her mouth and down her neck. They shimmered in the light, and if the conditions were just right, they left little reflections on the surfaces around her. She glowed with beauty and happiness, like the sun. Ollivander had affectionately named her Hirami, after the sun. He'd never seen the glow, but knew enough.
And then Brii. They were an absolutely horrendous eater. Fish was strewn all over their tray and hands and face, but they didn't seem to care. They listened in to the conversation that Ollivander and Dekk were having, occasionally giving a smile or chuckle and adding a comment. Unlike their twin, their scales were a dark purple, and only had small patches on their face, almost like freckles. They were rambunctious in private, when it was just friends who could see them, but in the cafeteria they were contempt to stay quiet and just observe.
Sadie would never be able to express just how much she loved the three of them. They were her sun, her stars, and her moon. And in return, she was their earth.
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After the cafeteria, they had to go and suit up. Brii and Dekk helped their friends put on their suits and armour. They tackled Sadie first, working from her back legs to her body, then to her front legs. They covered her body in protective armour, her horse body at least, while Ollivander groomed himself. He ran his finger along his soul mark, feeling it heat up under his own touch. His, unlike many avians, had been dark since birth. It wasn't black, but rather a dark green. He was mateless, at least in society's eyes, but it didn't bother him. He had Brii, Dekk, and Sadie, along with Ria, to keep him company. And in his eyes, though blind, that was enough.
He stood there, bouncing his foot, as the twins helped him into his suit and attached his armour. Then, when they were content, they stepped away to gear up themselves. It felt itchy, this suit. It was too tight on his developing feathers. Unlike his fellow avians, he wasn't fully grown, and so his body was extremely sensitive. He found himself, when Ria wasn't on missions, seeking the other's protection and care. No matter how hard he tried to suppress his instincts, he was only a baby, in Avian terms, and he still needed others to help groom him and protect him.
"All aircraft crew, soldiers, and other staff on Mission 5879, your aircraft is ready to board. Please make your way to the airfield to prepare for takeoff. Crew, please do final checks on fuel, weapons, and defence. Soldiers, please put on your helmets and any additional materials," a high ranking officer said over the loudspeaker.
"You coming, Ivan?" Brii asked.
"I'll be right behind you, I need to grab something."
Reluctantly, they left him alone. Sadie messed up his hair with a smirk.
He headed in the opposite direction to them, letting his hand run along the wall, over the dents and bumps that he knew all too well. He didn't reach his destination, however, before someone purposely bumped up against him and pushed him against the wall. Their hot, heavy breath kept hitting his face, and he scrunched his nose. It smelt like rotten fish.
"Iva, isn't it? Big man Arbuthnott's little girl?" The avian smirked, staring into those starry eyes.
Ollivander jerked and flipped the avian, reversing their positions with a knife to the other's throat. "It's Ivan. I'm his third born son of his first nest. And you are?"
"Oh you know who I am pretty. Surely you know who I am even with those blind eyes of yours."
"Private.…Melo. I want to say. Low ranking officer, no missions to date, three strikes to your name for pestering and indecency. Thought after three you'd learn. But obviously not."
Even then, Ollivander could sense that one of his hands was reaching out to grab his feathers, and he reacted. He grabbed the other avian by the collar and threw him to the ground, but not before he could leave a bruise to form on his jaw.
He huffed, knowing that he wouldn't have time to go where he was heading, and turned around. He stepped over the avian on the floor, and disappeared into the crowd.
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"So, your mission. You have three objectives.
Firstly, you must infiltrate the base and shut down all power and communications. This will set off backup power, but will disable all communications. This will aid in both other objectives.
Second, you must rescue the one avian, located to the North, and the three merfolk, located to the East, of the base. These four prisoners are our main priority. We have had to move this mission forwards due to word that they will be leaving the base for execution in just over 24 hours time. If completing this objective jeopardises our third objective, so be it. We can schedule a second mission.
Third, you must assess how many active bombs are being held at this outpost, and disable as many as you can. If we can disable 15 of the bombs, our mission will be a success."
The debriefing droned on and on, going over safety procedures and the like.
Just before they were set to jump, one last message came through the intercom.
"And, as additional incentive, the avian is Ria Bedia's nest sibling."
"Wait, does he know?" Ollivander called.
"Of course not. He is rescuing the prince, after all. We cannot have him be distracted."
And as he stepped out, shakily, onto the ramp at the back of the ship, he wondered why they hadn’t told him that his nest sibling, one of the few left, was currently under human capture. It scared him to think what they hadn’t told him about people he loved. He tried to ignore his pounding heart as the door of the aircraft clicked and hissed shut.
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